BlackHat and Defcon
For those attending BlackHat and/or Defcon, I will be speaking at both events. See the official sites for details. Look forward to running into lots of old friends.
National Do Not Call
Finally! We've needed a solution like this for a while. The National Do Not Call registry will allow you to register your phone numbers and designate that you do not want to receive calls from telemarketing companies. Can't wait for the enforcement of this registry, which begins on October 1, 2003. Visit donotcall.gov to register your phone number with the service.
Photo blog
I am testing a new Nokia 3650 with a built in camera. Pictures can be sent from the phone straight to the internet. See examples at this site.
Under Construction
This site is under active construction and may not display correctly when viewed in Windows. Issue should be addressed soon.
UPDATE: Think I have the problem solved. If it is still not displaying correctly for you, please email me.
US Cybersecurity Agency launched
We've lost two cybersecurity directors in as many months, but that hasn't impacted developments at DHS.
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the creation of a new cybersecurity division Friday, kindling a spark of optimism in technology industry groups that were losing faith in the government's commitment to computer security." Full Story
Threat still exists...
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network is poised to unleash chemical, biological and even nuclear attacks, the US Central Intelligence Agency said. "Al-Qaeda and associated extremist groups have a wide variety of potential agents and delivery means to choose from for chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks," the CIA said in a report ...More
Church of Jenkins
I've often joked that I am going to start a formal religion surrounding the work of Brian Jenkins in the terrorism field. His name is cited so often and in such strange circumstances that it is obvious he has a dedicated following. When I introduce Brian for speaking engagements, I often say "it is tough to have a cup of coffee with him without becoming more enlightened". Therefore, it is nice to see this Washington Post profile of him and his contributions to the field over the past thirty years. While it is a large article, it doesn't even skim the surface of his real-world experience.
Lone Wolf
The emergence of AQ lone wolfs is something that has concerned me for a while. We've certainly seen some instances, from a teenage boy in Tampa to a commando limo driver at LAX, but the true potential of this threat has yet to be realized. This is also one of those areas, where once the ice is broken, the frequency of attacks will increase.
"Man arrested last week allegedly sought bombmaking material. In April, court documents allege, Sayed Abdul Malike tried to buy enough explosives to blow up "a mountain." No one knows what Mr. Malike's specific plan might have been, or whether it would have succeeded, but thanks to an alert shop owner the Afghan-born legal resident will go before the federal court in Brooklyn for a bail hearing on a drug charge related to his quest to buy explosives. While federal authorities are still piecing together the story, the details so far appear to exemplify a threat that can be just as dangerous and elusive as a hard line terror cell: The lone-wolf terrorist sympathizer. With the nation's terrorism alert ratcheted up to orange, terrorism experts cite concern about people who are not part of organized groups like Al Qaeda, but are inclined to act in sympathy with their aims. " See TRC for more details
Internet Dreams Turn to Crime
Those that see the TechDef marketing literature always ask why we offer a counter-extortion service.
From the Washington Post:
"Soon, U.S. prosecutors said, Gorshkov and Ivanov were scouring the Internet looking for security vulnerabilities in the computer networks of American corporations. When they found a way in, they would steal credit card numbers or other valuable information. They would then contact the site's operator and offer to "fix" the breach and return the stolen data -- for a price." Full Story